5 Steps To Great Apps How To Build An Enterprise Mobile Strategy
5 Steps To Great Apps How To Build An Enterprise Mobile Strategy
5 Steps To Great Apps How To Build An Enterprise Mobile Strategy
Table of Contents
The mobile-time imperative 3
Set the foundation for a comprehensive mobile strategy 5
Identify and mitigate roadblocks on the path to mobile maturity 7
Establish your strategic objectives and KPIs 11
Setting KPIs for your mobile initiative 13
Mapping KPIs to your mobile strategy 15
Execute your strategy through next-gen design and development 16
The new approach to multi-edge design 19
Choose the right tools and technology 21
Become a mobile-time enterprise 26
84%
of respondents said they
The importance of creating a comprehensive, experience-first mobile strategy has evolved dramatically over
the last several years. Not long ago, a companys entire mobile strategy might have consisted of a single app
or a mobile website, and that was okay. Before the widespread adoption of smartphones and proliferation of
tablets, user app expectations were low, and most companies viewed an app as a simple, nice-to-have luxury.
That changed around 2007 with the introduction of the iPhone and the rising popularity of tablet and
smartphone computing. Offering the promise of any time, anywhere portability, these new devices delivered
a comprehensive, user-friendly digital experience without being tied to a laptop or desktop computer. This
new-found mobility raised both user expectations and the potential of mobility in the business context.
Mobile users, including customers, employees, and partners, now had a pathway that allowed instant,
any time access to tools, content, information, and data. Along with this new access, users expected an
experience that was just as comprehensive and intuitive as the one they found on their desktop computers.
Combine the above statistics with a Gartner report highlighting decreased PC shipments and increased
mobile device shipments, and we gain some interesting insights into the behavior patterns behind
mobile usage. In short, people are relying on their desktops less and their mobile devices more.
65%
51%
Mobile
strategies can
no longer
be simple
add-ons or
afterthoughts.
Becoming a mobile-time enterprise requires time, effort, and strategy, but the benefits are tremendous.
Organizations that take advantage of the opportunities presented by mobile can improve outcomes across
the board, allowing them to:
Interact with customers, employees, and partners more quickly, effectively, and personally
Provide rich user-first experiences
Reinvent processes to meet changing customer demands
Build flexible solutions that meet ever-broadening requirements
Operate with increasing ROI, improved TCO, speed, scalability, and agility
A companys path toward a comprehensive mobile strategy typically looks like this:
Experimentation Stage: During this stage, the mobile initiative is led by a single business unit. IT is rarely
involved, and the project is generally done independently of other company initiatives. Because of a lack
of funding and IT involvement, the app is built for deployment on only one, or at best a handful, of major
mobile platforms.
Exploration Stage: Due to success in the experimentation stage, the mobile strategy has evolved to take
on a more company-centric approach. However, because there is no clearly defined strategy, companies
tend to use a number of different, and sometimes competing, toolsets to manage their applications. This
can result in a fragmented approach, with any number of unnecessary and redundant processes being set
in motion.
Enterprise Stage: Building on earlier efforts, mature companies tackle mobility from
the top down with an integrated, enterprise-wide approach. This involves executive buyin, collaboration across business units and IT, and technology partners that can execute
on todays objectives while positioning the company for success in the future.
Merging business objectives with IT - In our multi-edge world, it is no longer enough to develop one
or two standalone apps based on the objectives of a single department or end user. Instead, a successful
mobile strategy must include the objectives of the entire company, incorporating the viewpoints of both
business and IT leaders. As the business leaders set goals for meeting company objectives through mobile,
IT leaders can create a path that will execute on those goals in an integrated, efficient, and secure way. Only
then can the organization reach the enterprise Stage of maturity and begin to truly operate in mobile time.
Building a
comprehensive
mobile strategy
that focuses
on delivering a
premium user
experience isnt
as simple as
flipping a switch.
Your business users, designers, and developers will need innovative tools, technologies, and ideas
to mobilize these resources, while IT needs solutions to manage them efficiently and securely.
Investments in cloud-based collaboration systems, next-gen design tools, a mobile application
development platform (MADP), and the right set of backend services can help with your transition
to mobile, delivering the agility and security to power a truly intuitive experience.
addressing these concerns. EMM should allow organizations to manage data at all different
levels, including devices, applications, content, users, and more. It should also be contextually
aware, implementing security measures when necessary while allowing for optimal usability.
Managing the application lifecycle
Application lifecycle management (ALM) typically consists of six phases: design, develop,
test, deploy, manage, and update. However, with the complexity of the mobile landscape,
creating a disciplined process for managing this lifecycle can be difficult.
A well-defined path for managing your applications lifecycle that includes quality control, ontime delivery, and maintenance is essential to creating a successful, repeatable enterpriseclass mobile strategy. Leveraging a platform that supports each step of the process, instead
of relying on disparate point products, is one way to ensure that each step of the lifecycle
is both represented and integrated into the overall strategy in a holistic way.
Building a strategy through the hurdles
While mobile offers a number of great advantages, it is certainly not without its risks and challenges.
The key to overcoming those challenges is building a strategy that addresses the needs of the entire
organization. The strategy will need to cover the apps entire development and management lifecycle,
including solutions for managing multiple platforms and integrating with backend systems. Investments
in new technology like cross-channel design tools and mobile application development platforms will
also need to be considered. By first outlining the challenges and then highlighting potential solutions,
you can make the best choices for meeting your business objectives efficiently and effectively.
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better target a key customer demographic or provide support for a specific business use case. Outwardfacing mobile apps can create richer customer interactions in new target markets. On the other hand, internal
mobile apps can be used as a pathway to boost productivity, customer service, and employee responsiveness.
How will mobile users impact your bottom line?
A comprehensive mobile strategy will require a certain amount of investment. This
investment is hopefully offset by the value mobile brings to your organization.
The question becomes, how do you establish that value?
To determine how the value and investment in mobile impacts your ROI, you will
need to establish clear objectives and key performance indicators (KPIs).
Define KPIs for success As outlined above, establishing clear objectives is critical to a
successful mobile strategy. However, in order to gain true organizational buy-in and strategic
alignment, those objectives will need to be quantified in a way that proves value.
Establishing
clear
objectives
is critical to
a successful
mobile
strategy.
This can be done by creating KPIs. By assigning a value to each KPI, you can determine how
much value your overall mobile initiative can be expected to bring to your business.
Consumer-facing mobile initiatives (B2C) deliver value to your customers, which in turn drives value
back to the business.
Employee-facing mobile initiatives (B2E) deliver value to an employee, department, or work group,
making your business run more efficiently and/or productively.
12
B2E KPIs
Customer engagement:
Field services
Service quality
Supply chain
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Even though we started by identifying the companys top objectives, our KPIs are now focused on identifying
how those objectives will align with the end user (the person who the app is intended to serve). While the
larger, overarching company objectives give the strategy focus, determining these KPIs allows you to identify
your target audience and begin outlining the apps you need to build and how to measure their success.
Identify the apps you need to build - Now that you have a clear understanding of your objectives, your
next step becomes identifying how your apps can meet those objectives. In other words, what type of app
or group of apps do you need to build in order to deliver value to the end user and the business?
Determining these
KPIs allows you
to identify your
target audience.
Now that you have given each app a measurable KPI, try asking:
What is the overall value of the app?
How does this value rank against other marketing initiatives?
Does the value of the app outweigh the development costs?
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Retail customers
For an app serving a retail customer,
the end goal may be to improve
retention or generate prominent
revenue through the app and
reach users that you may not have
reached through other means.
Remember, users intuitively know great mobile experiences when they have them. What this mapping exercise proves
is that delivering those great mobile experiences requires an investment in building more than a single app. Instead, a
comprehensive, enterprise-class approach to mobile app development requires the careful planning and building of successive
mobile experiences, each designed to fulfill the users intent where, and when, support and access are required.
15
18-24
months
Instead, designers and developers are now looking to use a new set of tools and processes specifically
built to help them tackle any number of challenges related to creating apps, including:
Time to market: Time-to-market expectations for mobile apps are high. On average, users upgrade to a new device
every 18-24 months. In addition, mobile operating systems are continually upgraded in relatively short lifecycles.
Because of this constant fluctuation, app developers who hope to take advantage of the newest features, before they
become obsolete, must be able to get their apps to market as quickly as possible.
Exceptional user experience: High quality UX, or lack thereof, can make or break the adoption of your app. Most
end users will not be satisfied with an app or interface that offers a lowest common denominator approach. Instead,
the tools and platforms you use to design, develop, and manage your app must offer the ability to create a high
quality, native experience specific to the end users device across any combination of devices, operating systems, or
platforms.
25%
of adults are going online
with three or more devices.
Multi-edge diversity: 25% of adults are going online with three-plus devices, and with the growing
prominence of the Internet of Things, this number is only expected to grow. This kind of device diversity
requires thinking about how the end user will connect with you across multiple devices and channels (i.e.
website, tablet, smartphone, web store, watch, etc.) Developers will need to continue to look for ways to create
highly efficient back-and-forth integration between various device endpoints and backend systems.
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PHASE 1:
Requirements gathering
PHASE 2:
UX and app workflow design
PHASE 3:
Graphic design
PHASE 4:
Development
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Designing and developing in a multi-edge world Today, the landscape has changed. In order to offer a
premium user experience, your mobile development initiatives must be able to extend and account for the
wide variety of platforms, devices, and operating systems on the market. As outlined above, with 10,000 plus
combinations of devices, layouts, orientations, operating systems, and screen sizes, traditional web-based tools
that focus on specific devices or use cases can be cumbersome and impede a quick time to market strategy.
In order to avoid those redundant design and development eorts, it becomes necessary to look for
new tools, solutions, and platforms intended to support a multi-edge effort. This often includes:
Giving the designer full control over the design: Traditionally, the image assets, wireframes, mockups,
and prototypes created during the design stage end up as throw-away work. The developer cannot
reuse these assets, and instead must rely on complex style sheets to build the app from scratch.
To avoid these complex and redundant processes, designers are turning to cloud-based solutions and
collaborative technology. Using these tools, purpose-built for app development and design, the designer
gains full control over the user interface and design. Their designs can now represent the final app, without the
developer needing to recreate them, which improves the end deliverable and makes the process more efficient.
Taking advantage of cloud-based development platforms: In addition to negating the rework
associated with interpreting wireframes and prototypes, cloud-based development platforms ensure
that the hard work is done, and security, integrations, backend connections, APIs, and more are
easily accounted for. This allows developers to focus on building great apps more quickly.
Mobile application development platforms also address todays wide range of device platforms
and form factors. With a platform approach, developers can write an application once and
immediately deliver native, hybrid, and web apps for smartphones, tablets, and desktop.
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Phase 1: Requirements
gathering
These strategies and more contribute to a new approach to app design and
development thats critical to the success of the mobile-time enterprise:
Real-time previews
and simulators
Responsive web
design
Asset reusability
and sharing
Adaptive web
design
Cloud-based UX
collaboration
Multi-channel
form factors
19
Phase 4: Development
20
Native apps:
Native apps have the reputation of providing the richest user
experience. These applications offer native API access, meaning they
can directly access a devices specific functions, such as GPS, cameras,
accelerometers, NFC, Bluetooth, infrared, bar code scanners, voice
recognition, sounds, contacts, and calendars. This native integration
also allows for a user experience interface in line with the mobile
device itself. For instance, the applications buttons, input fields,
and dialogue boxes will mimic the look and feel of the device.
21
Hybrid apps:
Unlike native apps, mobile web apps are not installed on the device.
Instead, mobile applications are accessed via the devices web
browser. Keep in mind, these are not traditional websites. Instead, due
to the advancement of responsive website design and HTML5, these
applications can offer a look, feel, and usability similar to that of native
applications. They do, however, need an internet connection to
offer access. Additionally, because these apps lack native integration,
applications that require an interactive user experience and
integration with native device functionality may not be the best fit.
Like the name implies, hybrid apps attempt to combine the best
technologies from native and mobile web apps. This is achieved by
building native integration on top of a mobile web application and
extending the mobile web application with capabilities that only
native applications can access. By using this technology, you can
put your application on the app store, and you can use the phones
native features (e.g. camera, GPS). However, just like a native app,
youll still need to build specific versions for each supported device.
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20%
80%
percentage of time
spent on actual
app development
percentage of time
spent adapting
applications across
multiple devices
and platforms
23
MADPs provide:
Faster time to market: The right MADP can address the challenge of building an app for
each device type, platform, and operating system. You can simply write once, and then
leverage a single code base across multiple operating systems, browsers, and devices.
Back-end integration: Offering a set of adapters for CRM, ERP, databases, and web services, MADPs
can create a strong connection between backend infrastructure and mobile hardware.
Data and user security: MADPs may include real-time monitoring and surveillance of
mobile environments, offering details on user usage, devices, and apps. Additionally, in the
event of device loss, MADPs protect data security and prevent unauthorized access.
Manage apps better: MADPs also offer device management, application management and content
management capabilities on par with the enterprise mobility management space, and can provide such
features as enterprise app stores to give IT managers full control of deploying and securing apps.
Selecting an MADP to match your strategy The MADP you choose will heavily impact your entire mobile
strategy. It will affect your time to market, the types of apps you can target, the users you can support, the systems
you can integrate, and more. With that in mind, here are a few criteria to consider when selecting an MADP:
Support for new devices
More than 2 billion tablets, smartphones, and laptops are sold every year. Its for this reason that
mobile companies continue to expand and evolve their mobile selection. Just think about Apple
and Android smartphones. Every year, these phones are updated, often accompanied by changes
to their operating systems. And that is just the leading companies. New devices are continually
being introduced, each hoping to share at least a small portion of the mobile marketplace.
As you map your mobile-time enterprise strategy, consider how your MADP can help you
continue to evolve to meet the challenges of an expanding multi-channel landscape.
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Time to market
Your users want task-oriented solutions designed to deliver immediate access to relevant information,
direct input to enterprise resources, and near real-time updates. This requires not developing just one
single app, but instead an enterprise-level strategy that includes multiple mobile apps, each purposebuilt to empower the targeted audience with the resources, information, and actions they need.
Without the right platform, supporting this large-scale initiative will not only be time
intensive, it will be expensive. For this reason, its important to look for a platform
that offers solutions built to help you get your apps to market quickly.
Backend integration
Remember, your mobile app is a just a touch point that offers access to your content,
services, and infrastructure. To offer an integrated experience, your apps must communicate
with predefined content and data sources, fetch information, and return results.
Look for an MADP that offers complete integration with your back-end systems. A smooth
and easy integration process will help you create an efficient mobile environment.
Mobile management
A mobile-time initiative comes complete with any number of management challenges: How do you
best roll out and provision multiple mobile apps to an ever-growing number of users? How do you
update the applications and ensure the security of valuable enterprise information stored on the
devices? How do you restrict the use of the applications to predefined locations and times of day?
The right management platform will match these management capabilities to your organizations policies
and procedures.
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Done correctly, mobile can meet users needs, business objectives, and IT requirements in a fast, efficient,
and cost effective way. Mobile time is here to stay. Its up to you to become a mobile-time enterprise.
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